Rebel Dykes is a 2021 documentary film directed by Siân A. Williams and Harri Shanahan about the lesbian scene in London during the 1980s and 1990s.[2][3][4][5][6]

Rebel Dykes
Directed by
  • Siân A Williams
  • Harri Shanahan
Production
company
Riot Productions[1]
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

In 2021 the film won the Iris Prize Best Feature Award,[7] the Best Documentary Award at Pornfilmfestival Berlin,[8] a Special Jury Mention at the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival,[9] and was nominated for The Raindance Discovery Award at the British Independent Film Awards[10] and the Best Feature Film Award at the Scottish BAFTA.[11]

Siobhan Fahey set up Riot Productions to produce Rebel Dykes.[12]

Synopsis

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The film is a documentary, the narrative told by the cast, with archive footage, images and animation (the latter created by Harri Shanahan).[3]

The history covers some of the cast's experiences at the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp,[13] the S&M club Chain Reaction, protests against the introduction of Section 28 including the lesbian invasion on the BBC, abseilers into the House of Lords and the impact of AIDS on the LGBTQ+ community as well as the homophobia of the era.[14][3] It goes on to follow the women into their current lives, some living on women's communes, still performing drag cabaret at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern and covering a recent reminiscence gathering event at DIY Space For London.[15]

The film also has a prominent soundtrack, with bands such as Poison Girls, The Brendas, The Sleeze Sisters, Sluts from Outer Space, Amy and the angels, Mouth Almighty, The Petticoats, Sister George, Well Oiled Sisters and the Gymslips being mentioned and their music included to narrate the story.[16][17][18]

Cast

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Reception

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The film received a 100% rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 12 reviews, as of 04 Nov 2024.[19]

Rebel Dykes History Project

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Aside from the film, the Rebel Dykes History Project has been a longer project made up of oral histories, art exhibitions, other short films and more.[4]

Alongside the film release, the Rebel Dykes Art & Archive Show exhibition was held at Space Station Sixty-Five gallery in Kennington, south London in 2021. It was curated by Atalanta Kernick, with Kat Hudson from Lesley Magazine.[20][21]

The Rebel Dykes Archive is held at the Bishopsgate Library at Bishopsgate Institute, London.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "Rebel Dykes Took On All Foes". The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Rebel Dykes: The Secret History of a Radical Lesbian Community". AnOther. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Rebel Dykes review – the unstoppable rise of the raddest of the radical lesbians". The Guardian. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b Waywell, Chris. "Rebel Dykes review: A raucous celebration of women who stood up to prejudice". Time Out. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  5. ^ Ide, Wendy. "'Rebel Dykes': Flare Review". Screen. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Rebel Dykes". Empire. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  7. ^ "DIVA supports The Iris Prize 2021 in Cardiff, with wins from Rebel Dykes and Senan Kara". Diva. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Pornfilmfestival Berlin 2021 Awards – Pornfilmfestival Berlin". pornfilmfestivalberlin.de. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  9. ^ "KASHISH 2021: Latin American films win big at a grand online award ceremony". Global Indian Stories. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  10. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (3 November 2021). "'Belfast,' 'Boiling Point' Lead BIFA Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  11. ^ Scotland, Screen (5 October 2022). "Nominations announced for BAFTA Scotland Awards 2022". Screen Scotland. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Who We Are". riotfilms.org. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  13. ^ "HOME". RebelDykes. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  14. ^ "Rebel Dykes". Empire. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  15. ^ "REBEL DYKES Gathering, DIY Space for London @ 2019-09-07 18:00:00 to 2019-09-07 23:00:00 | radar.squat.net". radar.squat.net. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  16. ^ a b Bishopsgate Institute Library. "Rebel Dykes Archive - catalogue": 28–31. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  17. ^ "Rebel Dykes review – Rousing portrait of lesbian sexuality and survival". Little White Lies. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Rebel Dykes: help us make it happen!". Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  19. ^ "Rebel Dykes", Rotten Tomatoes
  20. ^ "Celebrating dyke culture with drag kings and DIY smut". Dazed. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  21. ^ "ART & ARCHIVE SHOW". RebelDykes. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
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